TargetTalk

Steven Schwartz,
Herr Doktor, your opinion please. Is the center of balance on a free pistol or air pistol set in concrete or is it a matter of personal preference depending upon one's physical condition, ie strength, length of arm,etc.?
Does a muzzle heavy pistol have a dampening effect on movement if one has a sufficiently strong shoulder/arm/wrist/hand to sustain the weight? Does a heavy grip steady the hand? Should the COG be at the trigger?
ElliottN58PQ

Elliott:

Well, there is no simple answer- or even if there were, I would try to make it more complicated than it really was- however, there are a couple of "principles" or "factors" that you could consider in light of your own unique situation.

1) Up to a point, heavier is better. Too much overall weight and your gun is illegal. Too much overall weight and your arm will get tired, leading to problems with fatigue, shakes, etc. Below that point, a heavier gun can be "settled in" a little better than a light one. Some folks describe the hold patterns of light guns as "twitchy." "Less Stable" or "Susceptible to unwanted movement" is probably accurate too (and more complicated sounding!). To simplify the physics of it, heavier things are harder to move. Harder to move means more stable. Caveat: harder to move is fine as long as you are currently in the right spot- harder to move stinks if you are in the wrong spot! A heavier gun will require that you develop your grip/stance shot plan so that the boat anchor slides smoothly into the wobble area. Once you get it balanced in the wobble area, Life is Good.

2) Ditto for nose heavy. Same caveats. In this case, the stability effect applies to not "aim" per se but more to "alignment." Nose heavy stabilizes the hand and wrist- again, up to a point- and once grip etc. are fine tuned for good sight alignment it *seems easier* to keep a nose heavy gun "lined up" than a nose light one.

Visualize it this way: picture a pivoting ball mounted in space with a 12-inch stick poking out of it that you can use to rotate the ball. Would it be easier to precisely "point" or aim the stick by holding the end of the stick in your hand and rotating the ball (heavy/nose heavy)? Or by placing your hand over the ball and rotating the stick (grip heavy)?

Steve Swartz

The approach I use is to bring the CofG back towards the right hip ( rt.handed shooter). In my youth I was a proponent of "the more weight up front the better" syndrome, with age & wisdom ( plus deteriorating muscularity due to lowering of testosterone) I soon changed that view. I now use no upfront weight and proceed as I had previously suggested. It works for me.------

Why ask the question about balance? When you hold the pistol for the first time, you notice an imbalance right away. Your natural tendency is to shift your weight opposite from the out-stretched arm and pistol to bring your 'system' back into harmony with gravity. How much of a shift is up to you. You'll know it when you have attained it - it does not happen overnight though - you'll put in many hours of experimentation and discovery to find it and refine your stance. Read the AMU's section on Fundamentals of Pistol Marksmanship - you'll find all your answers there.

Matt